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Fiction - Argyle Crosses
This is a story I was inspired to write based on the picture to the right. It takes place in Skaldjr, though I didn't want to make it too obvious. While writing articles is an amazing way to legitimize the facts behind a universe, I feel like writing fiction like this is a good way to find new sources of material and also solidify previously established ideas. This story isn't finished, and isn't really even started; the first scene is very unnessesary, and the descriptions rely mostly on having the picture there to set the mood. The ending is just as abrupt, but hopefully I'll be adding on to it soon. Also, I deliberated over a title for more hours today then I spent actually writing the story, and yet, this retarded thing is all I could come up with. Anyway, enjoy. ''- Casey Lewis (WiskersThCatfish)'' Olu hacked out the soggy foliage at the mouth of the tunnel, letting it fall with a wet slap against the flagstones that led into the sunlight. “Wow,” he said in his throaty tone as he took a few steps toward the clearing. He tried to sort out the sounds around him, from the water pouring off the rocks, to the birds in the trees, to the sound of his partner struggling up the last leg of the climb. “What do you see?” Thony’s strained voice rang up over the ridge. Olu turned to see the smaller man reaching up with one hand, tentatively grasping for a handhold. “Lemmie help…” Olu doubled back through the tunnel mouth to offer a gauntleted hand down to his partner. A few minutes later they stood looking up at the statue from the edge of the pond. “By Bralg’s big eye…” Thony finally reacted to the sight. At the mouth of a depression in a cliff face, with water falling over its shoulders and head was a huge statue. Fists, arms and chest like barrels, the thing stood at close to fifty feet tall. It was chipped in some places, with a variety of mosses growing in the decorative grooves along its arms and in its joints. It resembled a huge suit of stone armor, and had an appropriately scaled sword sticking out of its balled fist. “Looks like a tree fell on it.” Olu noted, noticing the staggered behavior of the falling water to be the stream flowing through the holes left by an uprooted tree. “Do you think anyone’s found this before?” Thony asked, still a little dazzled. “Damned if I know.” Olu replied. “There’s nothing new under the sun, so I’ve heard.” He moved his hand over his bristled Mohawk and then strapped his big sword to his back. “The water looks fresh enough. Let’s catch a little rest for a bit. I don’t think anyone’s around here for a ways.” “You sure we should? This place is a little… solemn.” Thony added. Olu thought about this for a momnt. Thony wasn’t wrong, the vibes the statue gave off were pretty tangible. “If you see anything weird, holler and we’ll pick up.” He finally said. “Alright,” Thony sighed a little reluctantly as he adjusted his belt, and then started to take it off. They moved down to the water together shedding their heavy equipment on the rocks. Olu dumped the warm water out of his waterskin and began to refill it. “People had to have built this.” Thony was looking around the clearing as he waded into the shallow stream with his boots off. Olu glanced around too, there were a lot of squared off rocks, chipped with time, but still obviously hand-carved, “Seems like Hurd took it back.” Olu replied after a little silence. He took a few gulps out of the waterskin and then strapped it back to his belt. “So which way should we move next?” Olu sat back on a raised rock and watched his friend splash water on his face. He looked toward the cave mouth they came up from, and then to the thick foliage beyond. “We might have thrown them coming up that tunnel, but there’s no way we won’t leave a trail though this primordial shit.” He heard a deep splash, and looked over to see Thony had collapsed into the water face first. He bolted up and started toward his friend, but he felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck. “Damn…” His vision immediately blurred, he resisted passing out long enough to reach the other man in the water. He started to pull Thony to the shore when he hit the soft peat face first. “…this always happens.” Olu grunted, which triggered a fit of coughing. He was awake. “You’re awake.” He heard Thony’s voice at just above a whisper. His muscles felt stiff, he tried to look around, but things were only just coming into focus. “What happened?” He asked as he started to gain a handle on his surroundings. In the distance, he saw some huts, they were built like lean-tos on the sides of trees. In the middle of them was a cook fire on which was a steaming steel coffee pot. Around the fire there were people, thin ones, wearing lively looking amalgamations of different colored cloth wraps as clothing; on their heads, each of the people had a weathered animal skull, wrapped on the bottom with more cloth to hide their mouths and noses. Next to the cook fire, stood a tall man with scarred up legs, on his head he wore a full ten-point buck skull. Next to that man stood Olu’s worst nightmare. Euphegenia, hips thrown and one hand on her belt, stood talking to the Ten-Point, a small smirk plastered across her thin lips. As if she knew he was looking, her mouth went stern and her gaze migrated over to him. He felt like her eyes had purged all the blood from his body. He realized he felt like this because he was tied, wrists and ankles, to a very large tree. On the next tree over, was Thony. “Do I need to explain it?” Thony replied. “How are we gonna get out of here?” Olu frantically whispered to Thony. “Cool it.” Thony sounded confident. “Give it some time.” “No. We don’t fly by the seats of our pants anymore, remember? If you have a plan, I have to know what it is.” “The plan is I don’t have a plan, alright? This is the end.” “It can’t be the end. Where’s your knife?” “Nope. They stripped me. The tree people are cautious.” Olu swore, and spat out a wad of metallic tasting spit. Euphegenia began to approach them, the Ten-Point was behind her by a few steps, both of them held military style steel flaggards filled with steaming coffee. “Good to see you two. It’s been a few weeks, hasn’t it? Far, far too long.” Euphgenia put a delighted tone in her voice as she spoke despite the fact that she looked disgusted. Neither of the men replied to her, they just stared. “To the point then.” She took a scroll case from her belt and opened it to reveal a pair of rolled up parchment papers, she turned to Olu and began to read. “Olu Urgstead, you are under arrest for the following allegations: Deserting your post, and your army, betraying your kingdom and the King, grave robbery and illegal treasure hunting, and aiding a convicted murderer-“ “You insufferable cunt!” Olu cut her off, turning redder as she read until he barked the insult with a mouth slathering with his caustic-tasting spit. “If I weren’t tied up, I’d give you something to arrest me for!” He breathed heavy, and his nostrils flared as she stared up at him. “Got it out of your system, Mister Urgstead?” She gave him a moment, which didn’t seem to help him, but she continued none the less. As she rattled off the rest of the formalities on the paper, he looked over to Thony who he could tell was just as angry as him. Olu just had a harder time hiding it. “Anthonius Imaam.” Olu looked back to her when he heard Thony’s name read. “You are being arrested for the following allegations: Petty thievery, burglary, grave robbery and illegal treasure hunting. You have already been found guilty of the single most heinous crime known to man: murder in cold blood.” Thony sighed. “Who’d I kill?” He stared intently at the cold, alabaster face. “Whom. Whom did you kill.” She corrected him. “The answer is as you know, my commanding officer, Captain Roymund Ramseus.” Olu looked shocked. He shot a glance over to Thony who looked confused. “Captain R is dead?” He finally asked Euphegenia. She squeezed her eyes to a squint. “He didn’t tell you?” She then squared her look on Thony, who glanced back and forth between the two faces a little franticly. “What now, Euph?” Olu decided to change the subject. “Address me Captain Enacula. I received an emergency promotion in the wake of Captain Ramseus’ demise.” She raised her chin and let the words sink in. Neither of the men’s faces showed much of a change. “To answer your question, these new allies of the State here are going to help detain you until we can load you into a cart and bring you back to face trial and imprisonment. If you’ll just be patient, we’re negotiating your release, but I think this won’t take much longer." The men stared in silence as Ephegenia walked with the Ten-Point back to the cook fire, she was saying something to him, but just out of earshot. “I didn’t kill the captain.” Thony claimed in a whisper, still looking forward after the woman. “I figured as much, by how you reacted.” Olu goaded. “Is it still over? Seems like you’re facing a hanging.” “The doors have opened a little wider, now that we know we’re not going to be eaten by tree people.” Thony said thoughtfully. Olu stayed quiet, letting Thony compile some ideas. He looked out toward the tree people camp once more, a covered wagon had pulled up and two men wearing the uniform of Olu’s old regiment jumped out of the back. Euphegenia led the Ten Point towards them, showing off a box they were unloading. “If Euph knows anything, she probably thinks we’ll try to sneak away. So she’ll plan for that.” Thony eventually remarked. “We need to see if we can take her by surprise, burst out by brute force, maybe kidnap her.” “Woah, we’re kidnappers now?” “We’ve gotta be prepared to take the risk. If she’s got the whole regiment out here, there’s no way we can run from all of them without some kind of trump card.” Olu mulled this over before finally saying “Alright. If you think it’s what we’ve gotta do.” Interlude – The Quest for Purity Jakka hopped toward the doorway of his little house, his beloved finally returned to him after his long quest to find her. She lay on their bed after a vigorous session of lovemaking. She sat up just in time to see him moving to leave. “Do you have to go?” Jan asked, obviously distressed. “I’m afraid so, darling.” He replied, a chill to his speech. “I have yet to return the crystal that will save our kingdom from the tyranny of Lord Adderfang. I may have saved you, but King Thorvald is still counting on me.” He looked again toward the doorway. “Please take care of the children I’ve given you.” “Don’t say that, Jakka… you’ll be back, and we’ll raise them together.” Tears welled up in Jans eyes as Jakka continued hopping forward into the light of the outside world. But he didn’t see the hoof bearing down on him in time. “JAKKAAA-“ Jan rushed to her flattened husband. “Do you hear something?” Euphegenia turned to the cart driver as it slowly pulled down the deep forest path. The man shook his head at her. She made a “hmph” noise. “I could have sworn I heard screaming.” She sat gingerly on the driver’s platform of a covered wagon, pulled by two huge horses big and ornery enough not to care that there was no path in front of them. Behind her in the cab Thony and Olu sat shackled both legs and arms, with a single guard. Behind the wagon a group of three men navigated on foot in the path the wagon left through the underbrush. Time passed, and they watched as the thick forest became more sparse. Olu and Thony’s eyes were constantly searching the openings on the front and back of the wagon, their eyes casually ripping past to see their surroundings. Eventually Olu motioned to Thony with his eyes it seemed they have moved far enough out to no longer be bothered by the tree people. They waited for the correct moment. The wagon bounced, just like any other bounce, and Olu used the momentum to kick Thony in the shin. “Ouch!” Thony said exaggeratedly, and fell forward toward the guard opposite him, knocking his head on his helmet and then falling limp in his lap, eyes closed, mouth open, drooling. “What happened?” Euphegenia immideiatly turned to examine the situation. “Prisoner’s knocked out.” Said the guard, lifting the limp Thony from his lap. She stopped the cart, and began to remove herself from her seat. “I’m sorry, I think I kicked him when we hit that bump!” Olu put on his best face of distress. “Is he bleeding? I think his head is bleeding!” He started to stand up to follow the guard to the end of the wagon and watch as they lift Thony out to lay him on the ground and get a better look. Euphegenia came about to look at him herself. She slapped his cheek once, and then grabbed his head to turn it over on the dirt when he didn’t wake up. “I don’t see any blood.” She stated. Her head whipped up to look at Olu. “Sit back down, just what do you think you’re doing?” She whipped her head back to her men just as quickly, motioning for them to throw Thony back in. Two of the men groaned and came over to lift him by his arms and legs. Olu bit his tongue between his canines and started to turn around to sit back down, when all at once he scraped his foot under the bench kicking a load of spare equipment to the ground and then turned and launched himself at the guards, turning his body fully horizontal to hit them both at an angle. Flooring the guards, he quickly grabbed the helmate of the one under his chest and beat the man into unconsciousness. Meanwhile Thony stood up revealing himself to be free of his arm shackles. He smiled sharply at Euphegenia as he scraped up a shortsword that Olu managed to kick off the wagon. Euphegenia got into stance, reaching for her belt to pick out her own blade. Behind their faceoff Olu tussled with the guards, grunting as he tripped an oncoming one with his shackle chains and sent him flying over his mostly prone body. The guard landed with a thud, the wind knocked out of him right next to where Thony and Euphegenia stood, still locked on each other’s faces. Thony’s wry smile waned as Euphegenia’s eyes narrowed, and a truly evil grin started to form of her previously frowning lips. “If I have the chance to kill you here, I will.” She said in a calm and quiet voice, despite the grunting of the four-on-one boxing match that was taking place literally feet away. Olu yelled out a warriors shout as he hoisted an entire armored man over his head, swinging him to the ground behind him, and then throwing a well-placed jab on the next man over. “Thony, run or fight?” Olu yelled as a guard stepped in and gave him a solid blow in the gut, which made him wheeze out the entire contents of his lungs. Thony was quiet for a second as another guard stepped in to clock Olu over the head. “Run-“ he began. “Fight.” Euphegenia said in a breathy voice and she surged at him with her long thin blade. Thony managed to drop just short of the slice, and come up through its wake, laying a solid fist under Euphegenia’s jaw. He heard her teeth clack against each other as her face flew back in recoil of the uppercut. She staggered back, and then tried to focus on him, dazed by the blow. Thony moved up to her, making sure to pay attention to his shackled footing. He held the sword out, waiting for her to make another mistake. Euphegenia struck into a stance that made it look like she intended to run him through, but instead stood still concentrating on him. “Looks like I punched that ugly smile off your face. Hopefully you never show it to anyone again.” Thony smirked at her, taking another casual step in her direction, guard still up. Meanwhile, Olu was backed up against a tree as the last three fully conscious and mobile men finally decided to take out their swords. “Take it easy.” He pleaded with them, holding up his cuffed hands out but low to show his harmlessness. One of the three stepped forward taking a horizontal chop, Olu moved to the side, and let the sword edge dig slightly into the damp tree bark. As the man yanked his blade out, Olu moved up to him, throwing both arms over his slightly crooked back and kneeing him in the gut and groin. He let the man fall to the side recoiling fetally in pain. Thony had moved close enough to begin taking prodding swings at Euphegenia. He wanted her to think he was letting his guard down to attack, but she wasn’t having it. She stood perfectly still besides to deflect his weak attacks, batting them away with her blade. “What do you wanna do, Euph?” He tried a verbal swing this time, still smirking. “You can’t call me that.” She replied, her face turning red. “Why not? Olu calls you that.” His smile widens, knowing full well the answer to the question. Her delicate nostrils show a moment of ugliness as they flare wide like a bull about to charge. She tips her head toward him, glowering intensely. “What’s the matter, Euph?” His eyes twinkle as he asks, which finally sends her flying at him with a wild look, her vocal chords finding new octaves to warble out her mad scream. Thony exhales as he attempts to remove himself from her path, but he’s constricted by his leg shackles, and the deadly tip of her sword skewers him through the upper arm. He grits his teeth through the pain, adrenaline now surging through his veins. His sword is purposefully dropped on it's tip into the soft dirt tilled by the wagon wheels, and his hand flies up to her face; he licks his lips as time seems to drag on, his hand finally reaches her head, and he slaps it to the side of her skull. Using his dexterous thumb he pushes on her open eye, taking his revenge for all the anguish she brought to Olu and him by pushing the eyeball deep into the reaches of its socket. Olu slams the second to last guard into a tree, using his shackle chain to launch him by the neck and then turns to face the final man. Just as he’s about to dive, a banshee’s wail breaks the tranquil forest’s normal peacefulness, and he and the guard both give their gaze’s over to the scene. Thony stands over Euphegenia, pulling the sword out of his arm as she holds her face fast with both hands and falls to her knees; unable to support her torso as she falls, her head hits the dirt with a thud as another terrible howl rings out over the forest. She rolls to her side rocking herself as her perfect uniform is covered in mud and the wailing shifts into loud and painful sobs. Olu looks at the soldier he was fighting, whose sword has dropped from guard position as he stared at the scene. The soldier looks back at Olu, who shrugs at him and grimaces a little. Olu then takes a step forward and head-butts the other man to the ground, channeling the great hero Zidane. Thony reaches down to Euphegenia’s belt and nips a pouch where he saw her stash the keys to their shackles. Olu jogs back over to the wagon where he holds out his hands for Thony to unlock. He frees Olu's arms, and then works on his own leg bindings while Olu scans the back of the cart for their stripped equipment. “They must have left some of our stuff with the tree people.” Olu finally breaks the din of Euphegenia’s sobbing. “That’s okay, is your armor back there?” Thony replies as he finishes unlocking Olu’s leg shackles, both men now completely free. “Yeah,” Olu picks up a mesh bag with his half-plate in it. He also reaches for a spare longsword, throwing the strap over his shoulder. “What else do we need?” “Water.” Thony’s now bending over Euphegenia, shackling her arms. She breaths heavy, gritting her teeth as she looks up at Olu from her place on the ground on her stomach, her eye now just a mutilated mess. “I’m going to kill you two.” She manages to squeeze the words out at a sharp whisper. “I won’t let you hang, I’m going to stick you like pigs, and watch your blood boil as I throw hot coals over your dying bodies.” Olu’s mouth becomes crooked as he looks down at the pitiful woman. “Get a fuckin’ life, Euph.” He shakes his head and turns to the downed guards, lifting a pair of canteens off their belts. He takes one more for good measure, and then goes to the front of the wagon to address the problem of the horses. “We takin’ these, Thony?” “Naw, run ‘em off.” Thony’s voice calls back. Olu begins to undo their hitches. Eventually Thony joins him, and they soon have the horses free of their bonds. They each slap one on its hind haunches and watch as they spook and start to plod away into the foliage. “Set?” Olu asks as he hands Thony a canteen. He notices that Thony is wearing Euphegenia’s sword on his belt, as well as the short sword he used to fight her. “Trophy.” Thony smiles, noticing what Olu is looking at. “Let’s go.” The two of them start into the woods at a brisk pace.